Bring A Muggle to School Day
by UnlovelyMarauders
Summary: Slightly AU. Mostly focuses on what Malfoy would do if he had to bring a Muggle to school, some Harry POV also. Malfoy gets to know Ted Tonks a little better.


Warnings: AU-ish I guess. Ted Tonks is a Muggle in this, not a Muggle-born wizard (I don't even know that he was a wizard but that's what Harry Potter Lexicon said, so I changed it for this story). Out of Character-ness for Draco Malfoy (and probably a lot of other characters too sorry). Switches in POV between Harry and Draco. Also, beware of OCs (don't have a really big part, just some random Muggles).

Disclaimer: Do I really, in all true honesty, look like I own Harry Potter? Come on, seventeen years to write! Need I say more? Didn't think so.

Synopsis: Bring a Muggle to school day. Other than that, not really anything.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was not a fool, though he often put on that appearance. It allowed his enemies to disregard him as harmless, though it was well known that he was anything but. So when he planned on every student in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry bring in a Muggle, he was well aware of the consequences of such an action. Dumbledore figured that the Slytherins would completely disregard this request, and the other Houses would look upon it as a chore. He had to tread carefully so he wouldn't be drowned by his own ambition. Dumbledore took extra precautions in preparing for this little experiment, and let the axe fall on Friday evening.

"Hey Harry?" Ron called from the bulletin board. Harry had just dumped his things from Advanced Potions into the dormitory. "Come check this out mate. It's far out." He motioned to a rather long bulletin as Harry approached.

Important Notice:

All students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are required to complete the following exercise.

All students must bring one Muggle with them to school on April Twentieth.

It will be a one day exercise, in which the students will show and explain Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

As above mentioned: This is a REQUIREMENT.

All students who do not complete this project will have to repeat the same year at Hogwarts and sit through another testing session of O.W.L.s and/or N.E.W.T.s and/or final exams, depending on the grade level. If the student refuses to follow this rule, then the student will be expelled.

Each student will sign a contract declaring the safety of the Muggle in their charge. If this is disobeyed, the result will be expulsion.

After that followed a large amount of rules. Harry couldn't help but groan openly. The only Muggles that didn't believe that he was a delinquent was the Dursleys. Ron shared a look of complete horror on his face. He didn't know any Muggles beside the Muggle-born witches and wizards that attended Hogwarts. But before they could drown in their sorrow for much longer, Hermione graced them with her presence. She dropped a particularly heavy Ancient Runes book on the table, before turning toward them. The looks of horror on their faces must've been very amusing to her because she belatedly stifled a giggle.

"Either you two have just watched a rather pathetic attempt at a horror movie or someone died in a peculiarly disgusting way." Hermione said with a grin. Harry smiled weakly at her joke, and Ron's look of horror was replaced with one of bewilderment.

"What is a movie?"

"Never mind," Hermione said with a sigh. She glanced past them to the Bulletin board to see what caused them such horror. A small smirk was sneaking on to her face. "Oh, I see. Trying to figure out what to do then?" Harry sighed heavily.

"In all honesty, I really don't know what to do. I mean the only Muggles that don't think I have loose screws rolling around in my head are the Dursleys, and their opinion of me isn't much better."

"Well, of the three of them, who would you take?" Hermione asked logically.

"None of them." Harry answered, the look of sheer horror on his face again.

"Alright then, who do you think will be easiest to convince to come here?" Harry actually thought this time. Uncle Vernon was completely out of the question. He despised everything odd or abnormal, and to be invited in the midst of it was not a wise idea. Aunt Petunia was slightly different. She too despised oddities; however, Harry's mother and her sister had been a witch. Maybe, somewhere buried deep inside her heart there was a place where she wanted to see what her sister had seen and experience it first hand. But, there was a slight hitch in that plan. Harry was convinced no matter how much Aunt Petunia may have wanted to see Hogwarts; she would never leave her son, Dudley. Then, there was Dudley. A simpleton in every form of the word. He only thought of his own entertainment and enjoyment, never that of others. But, this might work in Harry's favor. His mind raced attempting to think of something to lure Dudley to Hogwarts. It had to be something that Dudley wanted and would argue with his parents over. The answer hit his brain like a sack of rocks. _Of course! Honeydukes._

"Dudley." Harry said suddenly, surprising both Hermione and Ron who had started another conversation.

"Pardon?" Ron asked.

"Dudley would be the easiest to convince to come here because of Honeydukes. And he will fight his parents for me." Hermione nodded at his explanation.

"Yeah, but mate, are you sure you want to be stuck with him for an entire day?"

"Don't really have any other choice, do I?"

"Guess not." The tone in Ron's voice held all the apologies over his situation. Harry waved the statement away, and Hermione quickly changed the subject to what Ron was going to do.

* * *

Down in the dungeons, the Slytherins were taking it much how Dumbledore expected. Which is to say, badly. A large group of students had gathered around the Bulletin board, moaning over the events. However, everyone's favorite blonde Slytherin was as far away from the board as humanly possible without leaving the common room. He was sitting in a large cushioned chair that seemed to be consuming his lithe frame with a book written completely in Latin held in his fingers. Draco Malfoy was surrounded by his own set of Slytherins: Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe weren't far off, eating their treats from the kitchens; Pansy Parkison was working on a Transfiguration essay she had neglected to finish; and Blaise Zabini was reading a book which was also in Latin. He had noticed the cause of the trouble far before anyone else had and was only slightly miffed by it. Draco's greatest concern was being able to complete the assignment. He wasn't idiotic enough to attempt to raise a resistance to a decree from the Headmaster. Draco was well aware that, if Dumbledore wanted to, he could keep such a matter tied up in the courts for as long as possible and in the mean time everyone would have to follow the rule. With all of his dignity, Draco resigned himself to his fate.

"We should make a petition!" Someone called from the large group. Loud cheers were made in support of this idea. Just about then, Draco lost his control and finally spoke out to the group.

"We will do no such thing." The crowd immediately quieted and looked to Draco. Even some of the older students turned their attention to him.

"Why not?" Someone asked haughtily. Draco snapped his book closed and looked straight at the crowd.

"There would be no point. While you waste your time getting a petition together and try going to court over it, Dumbledore would already have planned for this course of action and will be able to tie the courts up with other things. Then you will still be stuck bringing a Muggle to school or worse, repeating a year of school. Where would your pride be then?" Draco quieted and returned to his book. Whether or not the rest of them follow his example was really none of his concern. After all, his closest allies had already agreed on the same course of action as Draco. Now, all he had to do was get a Muggle to come to school with him.

* * *

The train ride back to the Muggle world was overly tense. An uneasy feeling in the pit of Harry's stomach kept him from eating much. But, this didn't stop him from buying practically the entire sweet trolley. He may have been nervous, but he wasn't stupid. After the Dursleys find out that Harry intended to take Dudley anywhere near something magic, they will probably refuse to feed him. To take his mind off of the imminent doom, he let his mind wander. He was initially shocked at the number of Slytherins that had lined up for the train. Harry was not surprised however by the lack of pale blonde hair in the mass of Slytherins. _Figures. A Malfoy would be so full of pride that they would risk repeating a year if they had to be civil to a Muggle._ Since these thoughts were doing nothing to improve his mood, he turned his attention to Ron and Hermione, who were still trying to figure out a way to get Ron a Muggle to bring.

This made the train ride go by faster, but once Harry stepped back into the Muggle world, everything came crashing down. He rode in the cab in a sickening silence, trying to work out a plan of action. Once he settled on a decent one, the cab screeched to a halt at 4 Privet Drive and Harry's mind completely shut down. He paid the cab some Muggle money not really paying attention to the amount and hoisted the small bag he brought of clothes and sweets up his shoulder. Tentatively, he took several steps forward until he was right in front of the door. Before he could ring the bell, the door swung open revealing a very purple Uncle Vernon.

"Boy, what are you doing here?" Harry barely opened his mouth before he was dragged into the house. "Well? Answer me!" Harry opened his mouth but was interrupted as before.

"Who is it Vernon?" Aunt Petunia called from the kitchen. In a few short minutes she came bustling out, along with Dudley. They both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Harry. A very awkward silence fell over the room. Finally, Harry opened his mouth to speak and this time was not interrupted.

* * *

Draco Malfoy decided against going to collect his Muggle for the day. Instead, he had written to his mother once the bulletin had been posted. Draco was in the better part of a panic attack when his mother's reply finally came. In her flowing script, she assured him that there would be a Muggle for the requirement at school, Voldemort's opinions be damned. His mother explained everything about the Muggle in great detail. Then finally she questioned whether he wished to go on the train ride to pick up the Muggle. Draco respectfully declined. He simply did not want to deal with any snide remarks from the Slytherins. His own little group was fine, they accepted any explanations, or lack thereof, he cared to offer. But, the others seemed to enjoy pushing his buttons. And then, there were the other Houses to deal with as well. . .No, Draco did not want to deal with them right away. Instead, he will wait until everyone is too preoccupied to notice him or the Muggle with him.

* * *

Harry really had no idea how he did it, but somehow he managed to drag Dudley effing Dursley to Platform 9 ¾ and onto the Hogwarts Express. Of course, there was a fair amount of complaining done not only by Dudley, but also by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia's complaining was laced with doting over her son and Uncle Vernon's were laced with numerous threats. Harry was searching for a compartment that Ron and Hermione were occupying, with Dudley lumbering not far behind. Finally, he found them in the last compartment of the train. Hermione had invited a girl around their age who was bouncing in her seat for joy. The Muggle Ron was bringing was the mirror image of the bouncing girl next to Hermione, causing Harry to do a double take.

"Hello," the bouncing girl called to Harry after he entered. He smiled sheepishly.

"Hi. Ron. Hermione." He nodded towards each in greeting. "Umm. . . This is my cousin Dudley." By now Dudley had sat down with a thump next to Hermione. She looked slightly awkward about this, but hardly paid him any mind. Harry sat down next to Ron, facing Dudley.

"Well, this is-" Hermione began before being interrupted.

"Andrea, but my friends call me Andy," the bouncing girl introduced herself. "And this is Victoria, but her friends call her Vi." Harry smiled at her bright and happy demeanor. "Me and Vi live near Hermione since we were little. She told us just last weekend that she was a witch and that she wanted to show us her school and we were so happy and she asked if one of us minded to help out a friend of hers by going to the school for a tour led by him and then we met Ron and we got on the train-"

"Andy," Vi said calmly, "breathe."

"Okay. So we wanted to see the castle, so are you going to come with us?"

"No." Came the sharp answer from Dudley's side of the compartment.

"Dudley," Harry said with a warning lacing his voice.

"What? What are you going to do Potter?" Harry was about to answer when the compartment door slid open with a soft thud. A man was standing in the compartment's doorway. He wasn't old, but looked like he was a parent of a student that attended Hogwarts.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you?" He asked with a smile. Despite Dudley taking up most of the compartment, there was still plenty of room for one more person. He glanced at Harry. "You're Harry Potter aren't you?" It was a very kind question and actually held a hint of uncertainty in it. Harry nodded. "Thought it was you. My Dora told me all about you. Quite good with a wand, right?" Harry felt slightly embarrassed.

"Umm. . .Dora?" He questioned trying to distract him.

"Oh, you must know her as Tonks. I'm Ted Tonks, her father." After the first few awkward moments, the train ride was actually rather pleasant. Even Dudley seemed to remain under control with the presence of an adult near by. Andy and Vi were rather entertaining and talked through most of the trip (or more like, Andy talked and Vi reminded her to breathe on occasion). But through the entire trip Harry was unable to ask why Ted Tonks was going to Hogwarts when Tonks had clearly graduated a while ago.

* * *

Draco sat at the bar in Honeydukes sweet shop. He glanced at the clock every now and then. The Hogwarts Express arrived at precisely nine o'clock in the morning and it was now eight fifty-five. Draco sighed heavily and paid for the fudge that he had been absent mindedly been nibbling on. He wasn't in any particular rush to get to the station, but he did not want to leave the Muggle stranded there to fend for himself. He sighed again and made his way over to the station.

* * *

Harry exited the train with Dudley, a violent twisting in his stomach making him sick. Dudley had already began gorging himself on sweets from the sweet trolley on the train ride and was now looking for more sweets. Or even worse, a fight. Although, a fight between Dudley and maybe Crabbe or Goyle would be pretty entertaining, Harry quickly abandoned the idea. _Malfoy and Dudley would probably quickly find out that they both hate me and would team up to make my life miserable_. Harry quickly promised himself that he would keep Draco Malfoy and Dudley Dursley as far apart as possible. So according to Murphy's Law, Draco Malfoy was walking straight towards him. Harry swore under his breath and was preparing himself for a come back to a snide remark when Dudley had obviously decided to pick a fight with none other than Draco effing Malfoy.

"Wow," Dudley said loudly, drawing the attention of some of the surrounding crowd. Thankfully, it mostly consisted of fellow Gryffindors Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean and their respective Muggles. "Look at that fairy." Dudley's look of pride obviously displayed that he was happy with his little jab at Malfoy's sexuality. Malfoy's cold grey eyes surveyed Dudley for a second, clearly misunderstanding the implication, much like the other pure-bloods in the crowd. On the other hand, Hermione, Andy, and Vi could barely control their laughter. Malfoy's eyebrow quirked slightly.

"Potter, I believe that this Muggle needs to get his eyes checked. He thinks that I am a six inch tall, brightly colored, winged creature." Of course, this sent the Muggles who were laughing into hysterics and caused those who weren't to begin laughing. This seemed to slightly irritate Malfoy, who obviously thought it was not a laughing matter.

"That's. . .not what. . . he meant," Andy wheezed trying to catch her breath after laughing so hard.

"Well, Muggle, what did he mean?" Malfoy asked his tone harsh. Andy was either oblivious to the tone he had just adopted with her or she was far braver than Harry could've imagined.

"He meant that you are. . . umm, well. . . Kind of on the feminine side. . . That you bat for the other team. . . That you are-"

"He means that you're gay, homosexual." Vi said, obviously getting tired of Andy beating around the bush. It seemed to take a second to register in Malfoy's mind. Then it clicked. He looked positively scandalized at the suggestion, but this quickly gave way to anger.

"He did what?" Malfoy's voice was eerily calm, despite the plain anger on his face.

"What happened?" A voice whispered near Harry's ear. Harry practically jumped out of his skin at the voice, but calmed himself before facing the person. Blaise Zabini was standing in between himself and Hermione, his eyes watching the scene before him.

"Well," Hermione began, a little concerned that a Slytherin could so easily have snuck up on the situation. "Dudley, that big Muggle over there, made a statement that questioned Malfoy's sexuality."

Now, Harry expected one of several things to happen. He thought that Zabini would charge forward to have Malfoy's back in the possible fight. Or he thought that he would turn tail and leave. Hell, he even would've expected Zabini to slap Ron on the back of the head, make out with Hermione and begin some sort of rain dance. But the unexpected happened: Zabini laughed. He laughed just as hard as Hermione and the Muggles had just a few seconds ago. Something shut down in Harry's brain. It was either because a Slytherin was laughing at the misfortune of another Slytherin or that a Slytherin was displaying a sense of _humor_.

"How is that funny?" Hermione hissed.

"Well, either one of two things will happen," Zabini replied after controlling his laughter. "Both completely depend on the mood that Draco's in."

"Oh? And what'll happen?" Ron asked unpleasantly. He didn't bother to hide the fact that he disliked a Slytherin being so close to him.

"Well, if he's in a good mood, he'll make a snide comment back at the Muggle. If not. . . well, it probably will be something unpleasant and involving magic." Harry's stomach squirmed a bit at that statement. Dudley's care was in his hands, and if something bad was going to happen to him then the Dursleys were going to be even less hospitable. Malfoy was still glowering and Dudley had obviously realized that messing with the Slytherin was not a good idea; he even seemed to be cowering a bit. Suddenly, Malfoy straightened his back and donned the arrogant appearance that he usually had.

"Well," he drawled carelessly, "I assure you that I can get anyone I want without any effort, male or female. Unlike yourself, who has the appearance of a beached whale on a good day and will likely remain alone for the rest of you life." Dudley looked thunderstruck and before he could even think of a come back, Malfoy drawled, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to elsewhere." With that, he turned on his heel and walked over to the far side of the train.

"Wh-who does he think he is?!" Dudley roared at Harry, Hermione, Ron and the Muggles, Andy and Vi. "That little- why I could pound his face into the dirt-"

"I strongly advise against that," Blaise Zabini said, easily silencing Dudley. "You are actually very lucky. Draco has sent people to the Hospital Wing for smaller slights against him. On top of that, he's a Malfoy. If he wanted you gone, you would be and not even your parents would be able to find you. Well, enough of that, come on Jen. . ." Blaise motioned for the girl behind him and they moved off towards the teachers, who seemed to be casting spells over the Muggles. Harry sighed and motioned for the others to follow Zabini's lead. Harry and the others made their way over to Professor McGonagall, who was hurriedly casting spells over the Muggles that approached her before sending them away with their respective wizard or witch. Harry walked deliberately slower to ensure that Dudley got the spell cast on him properly. Dudley also walked slowly, a terrified expression fixed on his face.

"You didn't say that they were goin' to perform magic on me?" He whispered desperately in Harry's ear.

"Do you want to see the sweet shop or not?" Harry asked, slightly frustrated. Dudley hesitated.

"Yeah."

"Then, they need to cast a spell on you so you can." This pacified Dudley until he got the spell cast over him. Then he ran (Dudley can run?) out of the crowd up towards the village that lay ahead. But, Dudley tired himself out quickly and stopped to rest (figured as much), allowing Harry to catch up.

"Ahh, is the pig out of breath?" A drawling voice asked, feigning pity. Harry glanced up. In his haste, he neglected to realize that Draco Malfoy was sitting on a rock not far away. "This is way pigs should stay in their sties." Dudley quickly recovered from being out of breath, and stood his full height and glared. Malfoy smirked back before turning to face the large mass of Muggles around the station.

"Better than being a fairy," Dudley replied, still panting slightly from the run. Malfoy's expression darkened.

"I have a name, Muggle." Malfoy grounded out between his teeth. "Draco Ares Tiresias Black Malfoy. You best remember it." (1) Dudley puffed up slightly at being told off.

"I will call you whatever I want-"

"Hello, sorry I'm late," Ted Tonks called as he neared the three teenagers. "It was really crowded over there." Harry wasn't sure if Ted was talking to him specifically, or if he just wanted to diffuse the situation.

"That's fine," Malfoy said. Harry did a mental double take before everything finally sank in.

"Wait, Mr. Tonks-"

"Ted is fine."

"-are you Malfoy's Muggle?" Malfoy had recoiled slightly at the rudeness of the remark, but Ted just laughed.

"Yes."

"B-but why?" Harry stammered. Malfoy sneered his usual sneer.

"Honestly, Potter, you are hopeless, first you bring a pig to Hogwarts to pass off as a Muggle, then you insult my guest, and to finish it all off you are completely in the dark." Harry bristled slightly at Malfoy's snide comments, and was imagining punching his face in. So, he wasn't prepared for the next statement at all. "He is my uncle, Theodore William Tonks." (2) Harry's face melted in complete shock, before it became slightly sheepish. He felt foolish because Sirius had told him specifically that Andromeda Tonks was the sister of Narcissa Malfoy, making her Draco Malfoy's aunt. Malfoy and Ted quickly departed thereafter, leaving Harry to deal with Dudley for the rest of the very long day.

* * *

Draco easily made his way away from Harry and his bloated cousin. Mr. Tonks- Uncle Ted- Ted- (what should he call him anyway?) followed close behind. He was beaming with each step, looking at Hogsmeade. _If he was a wizard, then he probably would've been in Hufflepuff_. Draco thought bitterly, his eye twitching dangerously. He stopped in the middle of Hogsmeade and turned to face Ted Tonks.

"So, what exactly do you want to see?" Draco asked. Ted looked around Hogsmeade, before looking up at Hogwarts.

"Well, I've been to magical cities before with Dromeda and Dora and have visited Diagon Alley plenty of times. But, I would really like to see Hogwarts." Ted's eyes were gleaming hopefully up at the school. "But it is up to you, afterall."

"Hogwarts is fine," Draco said, turning towards the path that leads to the school. A silence- an awkward silence on Draco's part- fell over them. Ted was watching townspeople, students, and Muggles alike move through Hogwarts.

"You look a lot like your mother," Ted said in a conversational tone. Draco stopped for an instant, before quickly recovering himself and continued walking.

"Do I?" Draco said, cursing himself for his voice shaking. It was odd hearing a comment like that. He had always been told that he resembled his father, never his mother. Even people who knew both his parents often said that he was truly his father's son. Narcissa herself even told him that he looked just like Lucius, though she also told him that his quick wit was all her.

"Yes, I was able to pick you out of the crowd easily. And if I needed any further proof, then the way you handled Harry's cousin was exactly how Narcissa would've." Draco allowed himself a slight smile at the praise. He quickly dropped it when they reached the doors of the Entrance Hall. Ted stared upwards, before turning his eyes over the rest of the hall. Draco stayed off to the side, next to the doorway to the Great Hall. Ted slowly turned back to Draco, waiting with the expectant look of a child.

"This is the Great Hall, where everyone eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Draco said, hoping that he didn't sound as awkward as he thought.

"Sounds good," Ted said absent-mindedly. "So we should eat now right?" Draco shrugged his shoulders in response, and turned towards the doors. Ted looked across the expanse of the room, at the Staff table and the four house tables, before his eyes moved to the ceiling, causing him to stop in his tracks. Draco had already made his way to the far side of the Hall and the Slytherin table before he noticed Ted was standing open-mouthed at the doorway. Draco cursed under his breath and marched back over to the door.

"What are you doing?" Draco hissed under his breath.

"Admiring the ceiling," Ted replied.

"Well, do it at the table!" Draco cried, exacerbated. Draco moved over to the table again, this time followed by Ted. Despite the near empty state of the Great Hall, Draco glared at those who dared look his way. Draco sulked as they ate, more like Ted ate, while staring at the ceiling. Once Draco was sure that no one would speak to him, nor mention Ted's behavior, he loosened up. He began to have a better mood, when Albus Dumbledore was walking by them. _Please keep walking, keep walking, keep walking. . ._

"Ah, it is good to see you, Ted." _Damn_.

"Why, hello Professor Dumbledore," Ted said with a smile.

"How are Andromeda and Nymphadora doing?"

"Fine. Dromeda has a beautiful garden going, and Dora is loving her job as an Auror."

"Lovely." At the sight of the visible twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes, Draco's eyebrow twitched violently. "And how is Mr. Malfoy as a tour guide?"

"He is doing just fine."

"Perfect! Well, I'll leave you be." Dumbledore wondered off towards the Staff table. Draco allowed the tension that had built up with Dumbledore's presence to slowly dissipate. Ted waited patiently for Draco to speak.

"Um," Draco said mumbled, before reminding himself the Malfoys don't mumble. "What exactly do you want to see? I mean I can show you the classrooms and the Slytherin common room, but. . ."

"I wouldn't mind seeing the Slytherin common room, maybe the Charms and Defense of the Dark Arts classrooms." Draco's eyebrow gave a spasm at the odd requests, only Draco's self control kept him from blurting out the question why.

"Alright," Draco said. "I'll show you the common room first, then the classrooms."

"Fine with me." Draco stood up from the table and left the Hall and was followed by Ted. Draco made a sharp turn towards the dungeons, walking at an average, yet brisk pace. Ted kept up easily, though he paused in a startled way when he realized they entered the dungeons. But he quickly recovered and caught up to Draco. Ted opened his mouth a couple of times, before snapping it shut again, not really sure what to say. Draco paused in front of a random section of wall, which made Ted's eyebrows quirk in question.

"_Carpe diem_," (3) Draco said to the wall, and it immediately opened revealing the Slytherin common room. Ted seemed to take this all in stride; obviously Andromeda had told him something of her years at Hogwarts. But there was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes at the magnificence of the common room and the magic that was used to get in the common room. Draco entered the room briskly and sat down lazily in the same overly large chair that consumed him. Ted entered more slowly, taking in the entire scene.

"Ah, so this is the common room. Dromeda tried describing it, but it helps seeing it." Draco was not idiotic, he was well aware that Andromeda was in Slytherin House along with her two sisters. Narcissa told him about her sisters, their years at Hogwarts, and even afterwards. Narcissa told her beloved son everything about the family dynamics. Bellatrix became rather distant from both Andromeda and Narcissa after meeting the Dark Lord Voldemort. Andromeda and Narcissa remained close, even after their respective marriages. Unknown to many, Andromeda was still considered a member of the Black family. Even Narcissa's marriage to Lucius did not affect their relationship; Lucius did not forbid Narcissa from speaking with Andromeda. In fact, Lucius helped Narcissa communicate with Andromeda without getting caught by another Death Eater or Voldemort himself. Draco himself even met Andromeda once briefly when he was very young, but unfortunately those memories faded with time. But Bellatrix Lestrange and her new husband moved into Malfoy Manor and kept both Narcissa and Draco under surveillance, which restricted any other visitation. Then both Narcissa and Andromeda became busy in the affairs of their growing children, and never really were able to meet again, though they did keep in touch regularly.

"Wonder what they're like," Draco murmured out loud.

"Pardon?" Ted said looking from the tapestries over to Draco. He looked up at Ted with a puzzled face which quickly changed to one of horror when he realized what he said.

"Umm, I mean. . ." Draco cursed himself. Excuses and half-truths always came to him easily, but now nothing came.

"You mean what are Dromeda and Dora are like right?" Ted supplied with a good natured smile. Draco scowled in return, not saying anything. Ted went back to studying the common room. "When I first met Andromeda, I was eighteen and a senior in high school- that's a Muggle school. Anyway, I remember being quite smitten with her. She was, and still is, amazing. That dark hair, those eyes, everything about her was breathtaking." Ted smiled sheepishly. "Of course, I wanted to speak to her, but I wasn't really sure what to say." Ted seemed to drift into memory for a second, and Draco, rather than being disgusted with the romance, was actually intrigued with the little known history of his aunt.

"Just as I got up the courage to talk to her, this blonde girl came out of nowhere. I figured that they were sisters, the face and most of all the eyes were the same as Dromeda's. Of course, you don't need me to tell you that it was your mother," Ted said as an aside to Draco. "Next day, I saw her at the same place again. I was determined to talk to her but your mother intercepted me. Narcissa is very bright and noticed me watching Dromeda. She told me that our relationship would be very difficult, and have many problems and most of it would come from their parents.

"Narcissa didn't sugar coat anything, but she didn't tell me that it involved magic either. After all that, she asked me if I really wanted to be in a relationship with Andromeda." Draco actually sat up in his chair a little. "I'm going to be honest to you, I was intimidated. Narcissa terrified me. She gave me until the next day to answer. So I thought about it. Somewhere deep down, I knew that I loved that woman. But, I wasn't necessarily sure if I wanted to mess up her life simply because of attraction."

"So, you told my mother no?" Draco asked disbelieving.

"Yeah. I think she understood my reasoning even if I never told her."

"So, what happened?" Draco cursed himself, which was quickly becoming a nasty habit, for sounding so interested.

"I avoided that location and tried not to think about her. It worked for the most part, except at night. She seemed to riddle my dreams. Then about a year later, I saw into Andromeda again. It was a complete accident. She was coming out of the Leaky Caldron and I was walking and reading a book and we collided with each other. That's how we actually met each other, and from there we developed a friendship. Our romantic relationship began with the help of your mother. Narcissa is very clever and aided us in seeing each other without the knowledge of the Blacks. She even interceded on Andromeda's behalf when their parents found out about our engagement. Narcissa was the reason that Dromeda is not disowned and still has an inheritance." (4) Draco'd interest continued to heighten. He had no idea that his mother was such an integral influence in his aunt's life. But in a way, he wasn't surprised at the mention of his mother's disregard for family rules. Narcissa's interactions with a sister that should've been disowned reinforce a mantra that Narcissa told Draco many times: Family comes first or not at all.

"Poor Dora. I'm afraid she inherited one of my worst traits." Ted said, sitting across from Draco, in a plush green arm chair. "She is terribly clumsy, which her mother certainly isn't. She has a great amount of confidence in herself. Now it isn't arrogance, but she is comfortable with herself. She is also very brave. These qualities came from Dromeda. Dora also is very forward with her emotions which is clearly from me." Ted smiled good naturedly at Draco. Draco shocked himself at being able to muster a smile back.

"Any visitors please report back to the station at Hogsmeade," an announcement rang though the halls. "The train will be leaving in thirty minutes." Draco was surprised to learn so much time had passed. Ted and Draco moved out of the dungeons to run into Weasley and Granger and the twins Andy and Vi. Ted of course, struck up a conversation immediately and damned Draco to walk back to the station with two of his least favorite people.

* * *

Harry was actually surprised that the entire event went so well. Harry truly expected Dudley to sit at Honeydukes and not move until it was time to leave. But Dudley was intent on visiting not only Honeydukes, but the Three Broomsticks and Zonko's joke shop. Granted, Dudley did pretty much clean Harry out of any pocket money, but the entire event was a success. Dudley even seemed to be in a good mood until they reached the train station. Dudley stopped short, his immense bulk quivering with suppressed rage. Harry made a quick survey of the area to see what was bothering him when directly in his line of vision he noticed Malfoy standing smugly on the platform. Much to Harry's shock, Malfoy was speaking to Andy and Vi, who seemed to be laughing comically, even Hermione looked vaguely amused. Ron, on the other hand, looked dreadfully sick. Ted was standing on the sidelines watching the madness.

Ted's presence was probably the only thing stopping Dudley from charging at Malfoy. Harry felt his stomach twist. He was fairly sure that if Dudley charged, then Draco's quick reflexes would allow him to hex Dudley. Of course, if Draco reacted slower, he would surely be pounded into the ground. Harry gulped. He wasn't really sure who he would rather deal with: the angry Dursleys or the livid Malfoy heir. Harry was just about to lead Dudley to the train, when Ron called out to him over the crowd.

"Hey Harry!" Ron moved over towards Harry, looking overly harassed by having to deal with Malfoy. Of course Ron's outburst caused a decline in Malfoy's general mood. The smug look was replaced with his usual sneer. Andy and Vi suddenly launched into a conversation with Malfoy. Harry was once again shocked at the twins and their cleverness or foolishness. They were deliberately distracting Malfoy or they were completely unaware of what the Malfoy sneer meant. Harry was doubly surprised that Malfoy catered to the two Muggles. Ron was talking about a mile a minute, encaging Harry in a conversation about anything. Harry quickly obliged Ron and navigated them, with Dudley in tow, toward the train.

Harry located a compartment in the train that was to Dudley's liking and settled in with Dudley and Ron. Harry continued talking with Ron as Dudley tore into a packet of Honeydukes' famous fudge. Hermione joined them shortly, along with Andy and Vi.

"Where's Ted?" Ron asked. Ron, of course, was unaware of the relation between Malfoy and Ted and Harry had a feeling that if he had told him Ron wouldn't be so eager to have him in the same compartment. But, since that was not the case, Ron seemed to like having Ted near-by to at least keep Dudley in check.

"He said that he'll be here in a minute or two," Hermione said, before turning back to Andy and Vi.

"Well," Ted said as Hermione was leaving, "are you coming with?" Draco glanced up at the question, his eyebrow twitched at the suggestion.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in a compartment full of Gryffindors and least of all that whale," Draco answered. Ted burst out laughing, causing Draco's eyebrow to twitch again.

"That's quite alright. I'm going to meet Dromeda at King's Cross anyway." Ted smiled. "It was good seeing you. Be good, and all that."

"I'm always good," Draco replied sarcastically. "Good enough not to get caught." Ted laughed hardily. As soon as he caught his breath, he held out his hand to Draco. Draco took it and shook his hand without hesitation. With that, Draco turned on his heel and left the crowding platform. Ted boarded the train and set off to find the Gryffindors' compartment.

"Hey Ted," Harry said as Ted entered the compartment. "Did you enjoy your visit at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, it was quite entertaining. The Great Hall's ceiling is amazing, isn't it?" Andy and Vi nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Did you learn anything?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione you are the only person who would ask something like that?" Ron said.

"Something like what?" Hermione asked in an indignant manner. Andy and Vi had their hands clamped over their mouths, but snatches of giggling could still be heard.

"Something about education!" Ron replied. Ted smiled and looked out the window as the argument escalated.

"You know I think it was an educational experience," Ted said to no one in particular. "Maybe not for me, but definitely an educational experience."

* * *

(1) Totally made up Draco's full name. It was a little too much fun not to. Okay, Ares is the Greek (Roman?) god of war (equivalent of Mars). I decided on this because of all the fights that Harry and Draco get into during their time at Hogwarts. Tiresias is a blind Seer (fortune-teller, prophet, what ever you want to call it) also from mythology (don't know if he was from Greek or Roman mythology, but I had to read _The Metamorphoses of Ovid_ and he was in there). I chose this name partially because I read a fan fiction somewhere that was about Draco having the gift of Sight, but I don't know what it is called (super sorry), but mostly because it sounded good with the rest of the name. Oh, and I added the Black name into Draco's because the Black Family seems to want to preserve themselves as much as possible, even when entering other marriages.

(2) Yep, made up some of his name too. I figured Ted was short for Theodore, so had the full thing in there for a 'proper' introduction. William I took from one of my favorite poets, William Blake ("The Tyger" ring any bells? If not look it up now).

(3) Sorry, not very creative at all. This was the only Latin phrase that I could think of. For those who don't know, or don't remember, it means "seize the day."

(4) Totally made up Andromeda's and Ted's meet and fall in love scenario. Sorry to disappoint any Narcissa Malfoy haters, but I really don't think that she is that bad of a person. My theory on her is that she can not tell the difference between right and wrong necessarily (especially being raised in the environment that she was), but I do think that she cares more than anything about her family, so I don't think that she would abandon Andromeda over something so trivial.


End file.
